NHL Hockey has been very, very good to EA Sports. Fans loved last year's superb edition, especially the fact that EA included slider toggles, letting players alter just about every aspect of gameplay to suit their specifications. It seems that every other year EA developers tweak the graphics of the series, and then the next year they tweak the gameplay. Given that last year's edition featured a graphic s upgrade, this year's looks for gameplay improvements. Some of the tweaks are unusual, and may not please all PC sports fans. As with the Madden football series and Triple Play Baseball before it, NHL 2002 will now have unlockable gimmicks and cheats. Perform a difficult feat, such as a hat-trick or a power-play goal, and you'll accrue points which open up funky, game-altering cheats, silly rinks and other oddities. For the casual fan and hardcore gamer alike, it's another reason to keep playing, but hockey purists will play full seasons regardless of such temptations. Another new addition is the breakaway camera. If you manage to break free with the puck and find yourself one-on-one with the goalie, the camera changes perspective, the crowd volume lowers and all you hear is the ice-noise and the player's heartbeat. It's a cool feature, but one that's hopefully optional and won't disrupt the flow of the game too much. --Andrew S Bub